


An Everlasting Exchange

by xpastelprincex



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Also nothing happy happens, Angst, Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Basically doesn't follow certain aspects of Endgame for plot reasons, M/M, Vormir, non-canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-13
Updated: 2019-05-13
Packaged: 2020-03-02 14:12:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,087
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18812551
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xpastelprincex/pseuds/xpastelprincex
Summary: What happens when you take two of the hardest people to kill, and put them on Vormir to retrieve the soul stone?





	An Everlasting Exchange

**Author's Note:**

> I am so sorry in advance. It's been so long since I've written fanfiction so uuu yeah, I just hope y'all enjoy it, let me know if you did!

“You know, when I got back to Earth, I never expected that I’d find myself on some otherworldly planet again. Can’t say I missed space.”

Bruce spoke as he and Thor emerged from the ship, trying to force a joking tone to his voice. However, it was obvious to Thor that Bruce was nervous. He could see it in the way the man stood, his arms crossed over his chest, and the way he just couldn’t seem to stand still. He could hear it in his voice, that while he tried to be his normal confident self, he was nervous. Vormir wasn’t a great place for the big guy to get loose most likely, and Bruce knew that. Bruce, unlike Thor, wasn’t used to the vast expanse of the universe. Well, he was probably more used to it than others, but still. Even to him, Vormir was a little intimidating. 

Vormir was dark and eerie, and incredibly quiet, save for the sounds of nature. Whatever the nature of Vormir may be. But, even so, as the one with more experience with the extraterrestrial, Thor felt like he should give Bruce some comfort. So, he reached out a hand and placed it gently on the shorter man’s shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze and rub.

“Come now, Banner, where’s your sense of adventure? How many midgardians can say that they have been to other planets? Surely a few, however, you by far have visited the most, I am sure of it.” Thor replied with a grin on his face, as he looked down at the physicist beside him. He wasn’t sure if he was being any help, but saying something was better than filling the unsettling silence with more nothing. “Besides, we are simply here to collect the soul stone, and return to the compound.”

He kept his gaze on Bruce as he spoke, hand remaining on his shoulder as a constant form of contact. A way to ground him, to say, “I’m here, we’re in this together,”. He watched as a more genuine smile spread on Bruce’s face, his head slowly nodding as he did. 

“You’re right, it really bumps my street cred when I say I’ve been to the homeworld of the Norse Gods themselves.” Bruce said with a laugh, then continued, “When they don’t think I’ve lost my mind, they actually think it’s pretty cool…”

“It is cool because you’re acquainted with me.” Thor joked back, giving the other a gentle nudge before moving his hand onto the scientist’s back. “I think we’ve stalled long enough though, Banner. We really should continue on. The sooner we retrieve the soul stone-.”

“The sooner we can get the hell outta here.” Bruce cut him off, eyes gazing up at the mountain top in front of them. “So, that’s where we’ve gotta go?” 

“Yes, that’s where we are headed. The soul stone must be at the peak. Let’s go.”

* * *

 

The two began the trek to the top of the mountain. For Thor, it was a fairly simple walk to make, however, the pair had to pause every now and again, so that Bruce could rest and calm his heartbeat. Thor had offered to carry him, but Bruce didn’t think that was a very dignifying idea. “I’m 53, I don’t need to be carried,” He protested, as they continued up the mountain.

A few stops later, and the pair finally reach the peak. Thor is walking ahead, to protect from any sudden dangers that might pop out at them. While Bruce can certainly defend himself, a code green in this situation was the last thing they needed. 

“Where is the stone? It has to be up here somewhere.” Thor wondered aloud, gazing around. There was no sign of the soul stone, no sign of anything.

So, when a third, unfamiliar voice spoke up, he was understandably startled.

_ “Welcome.” _

The two men jumped in surprise and whirled around to face the voice, Thor stepping up and placing a hand on Bruce’s chest to urge him to stay behind him, his hand firmly grasping stormbreaker. Not too far in front of them, he saw a ghostly figure, floating above the ground, though his features were still blanketed by the shadows. Under his hand that was still on Bruce’s chest, he could feel his pulse picking up, and Thor gently patted him to try and keep him calm. “It’s alright, Banner…” He whispered, so only Bruce would hear. 

_ “Robert, son of Rebecca… Thor, son of Frigga...” _

Gripping the axe tightly in his hand, Thor took one, then two tentative steps forward, trying to focus on the figure in front of him. “We are looking for the soul stone. We do not mean any harm to you or your world in our endeavours.”

_ “And I mean you no harm.” _ The figure came forward, finally revealing himself to the pair. His features were sharp, almost like bone, and his skin was blood red.  _ “You could, in fact, consider me a guide to all who seek the soul stone.” _

“Well, that makes this a hell of a lot easier for us then.” Thor let out a gentle sigh, though he still kept on his guard. Though this person claimed to be a guide, he still wasn’t sure if he trusted the only other living being that they’ve run into so far. “Please, take us to the soul stone so we may retrieve it and be on our way.”

_ “I am afraid it is not that easy, Odinson.” _ The ghoul replied in a solemn tone, turning so his back was to them.  _ “Follow me.” _

And the two did just that. They followed behind him, albeit a little reluctantly, to a plateau at the top of the mountain. As they walked out, Bruce glanced around, his brows furrowed in confusion. “Well, where’s the stone? It should be here, right?” He pondered as he looked back at the ghost, who simply floated to the side.

_ “What you seek lies in front of you… As does, what you fear.” _

Turning to glance at the precipice before him, Bruce carefully walked to the edge, glancing down, Thor coming up beside him to do the same. “Well… I’ll admit, I’ve never been a big fan of heights. But, I just climbed up a mountain, I’m sure climbing down there to get the stone will be no problem, right?” The physicist stated, glancing first at Thor, and then back at their guide. “Right?”

_ “The stone, is available for one of you… For the other…” _ He paused, both men now looking at him with serious expressions.  _ “In order to retrieve the stone, you must lose that which you love. An everlasting exchange. A soul, for a soul.” _

After he spoke, a silence fell over the three. There was, a lot to process in that statement for the two, and after a moment, Bruce was the first one to speak up.

“He’s lying. He has to be. There is no way this is real, okay, we can just go down there, get the stone, and be on our way.” 

“I don’t think he’s lying…” Thor replied, going to sit himself down on the floor, not trusting his own legs in that moment as he laid his axe across his lap. “Your name… Robert?”

“Yeah. Robert Bruce Banner. I thought everyone knew that.”

“I didn’t…” Thor replied, looking up at the man from his place on the ground, face riddled with guilt. “I apologize for that.” 

“Hey, hey it’s okay.” Bruce moved to sit himself down beside Thor, resting a hand on the God’s knee and giving it a gentle squeeze. “It’s okay… So, you think he’s telling the truth then?”

“I do.” Thor nodded, reaching out to lay a hand over Bruce’s. “Not only because of that, but because it sounds similar to the legends of the soul stone that I would hear as a child. I didn’t want to believe it… I didn’t even remember… But, now that I am here, and I am hearing it in the moment, I believe it is true.”

“So, one of us will have to…” Bruce didn’t even finish his statement, as he turned to glance over at the ledge, face growing slightly pale. 

A silence fell over them once more. The two contemplated their next moves, but how does one go about this situation? How does one choose which of your friends lives and which dies?

The first movement was Thor, who stood to his feet, having placed stormbreaker on the ground at his feet. “I will do it.”

“What?” Bruce retorted immediately, jumping up to his feet and standing in front of Thor. “Shouldn’t we talk about this?”

“There is nothing to talk about. The world needs you, you are one of the greatest scientific minds on Earth, as well as the strongest being in your realm. The Earth still needs you. Plus, you are young. You haven’t lived your full life yet. I have been around for over a thousand years, and I… I have nothing left. I have no family, the people of Asgard are a fraction of what they used to be, and I am not fit to be their king… It has to be me.” 

“No! No, okay, listen.” Bruce protested, pushing against the God’s chest as he began walking towards the edge, trying to stop him. “You are one of the galaxy’s best defenders, and the strongest guy I know, probably even strong enough to beat Hulk if you really tried. And like you said, you have Asgard to look after. You may not feel fit, but you would be a great king, and you can’t just suddenly leave your people with no ruler.” He tried bargaining with Thor, but when the other wouldn’t let up, he got worried. “I also don’t think the fall would kill you!”

That stopped Thor in his tracks. Did Bruce have a point there? No, of course he did. Bruce said it himself, his strength and power rivals that of the Hulk, and Thor knows for sure that Hulk could survive a drop from that distance as well.

“It has to be me.” Bruce spoke up finally, now that he’s stopped Thor. “A fall from this high up, a God could survive, but a human couldn’t. Plus… The Hulk may be strong, but he’s a menace. All my life, he’s done nothing but cause pain and trouble for me. This isn’t the life I want to live, constantly afraid of myself, or what I’d do to others. It has to be me.”

Thor was silent for a moment, and Bruce stood in front of him, as if waiting for him to agree or disagree with what was just said. But, Thor just needed a moment to think, to plan. He knew he wanted Bruce to live, but he wouldn’t die if he were the one who jumped. Furthermore, he couldn’t just ask Bruce to kill him, he’d for sure say no and just try killing himself. Then, it struck him, and he remembered, Bruce wouldn’t survive the fall, but Hulk would.

“You know what… I think you’re right. You have to be the one who jumps.” Reaching out, Thor grasped a handful of the scientist’s shirt, lifting him off the ground and walking with him over to the edge. 

“W-woah wait a minute.” Bruce stammered, startled by Thor’s sudden change in demeanor. He dared to glance down as Thor held him over the edge, and his breathing became shallow, his pulse rising, he felt like he was losing control-. “Wait! Wait don’t drop me, don’t, it won’t work! The Hulk will just take over, we have to think of something else!”

Thor hesitates for a moment, his eyes scanning the scared expression on Bruce’s face, and he sighs, bringing Bruce back in and setting him down on the ground. The shorter man is visibly shaken, and is breathing harshly in and out, his hands holding onto Thor tightly. At first, Thor thought the doctor may have been having a panic attack, but upon closer inspection, it looked like he was doing some sort of breathing exercise to keep from Hulking out. Thor tipped his head slightly as he looked down at Bruce, his hands reaching out slowly to cup the others cheeks in his hands, turning his face up so they could look at each other. By this point, Bruce had calmed his racing heart a bit, and looked up at the God in surprise. Thor’s thumbs gently stroked against his cheeks, trying to comfort him as he leaned down to press a tender kiss to his forehead, resting their foreheads together after. “Bruce… I love you, very dearly. And, that’s why it pains me to have to do this to you.”

Taking a step back, Thor reached out and shoved against the others chest, causing Bruce to stumble backwards and over the ledge. Thor couldn’t watch him as he fell, he knew his face would make him regret his choice, a face that was probably full of hurt, pain and betrayal. But, it had to be done, he needed the Hulk, and he picked up stormbreaker so he would be ready for his arrival. 

And, sure enough, after a loud thud from the bottom of the revine, up jumped the Hulk, using his powerful legs. 

“Greetings, oh mighty green and stupid one. I need you to kill me.” Thor said, tone nonchalant, as he looked up at the massive creature before him.

Hulk simply huffed, glaring at the small God. “Hulk? Kill you? Hulk don’t kill. Only smash.”

“Come on, you giant oaf. Kill me!” Thor cried out, lifting stormbreaker, swinging it at the Hulk with the flat side of the axe. “Kill me! It must be done! The fate of the universe depends on it.” 

“No!” Hulk was growling now, frustrated with the other trying to rile him up. “No kill!”

Thor stood back a moment, watching. So, intimidation wasn’t working, so he had to move onto the next step; antagonization and patronization. “I get it. It is not that you won’t kill me, it is that you simply can’t. You are finally admitting that I am stronger than you. You’re scared.”

“No, Hulk scared of no one! Hulk fears no man, cause Hulk can do anything!”

“Then fight me, you wretched coward.” Dropping stormbreaker to his side, Thor held his fists up, taking a swing at the others jaw, the beast stumbling and roaring in agitation when it connected. “Right now, fight me, and prove that you are not afraid.” 

“Little man want fight? Hulk can give fight.” The Hulk growled and banged his fists against the ground, having been provoked into attacking. He took swings at Thor with all his might, swings that Thor did little to try and counter. This was a fight he was trying to lose. He did take a swing at Hulk, every now and then, to keep Hulk mad, and to make it seem like he was trying, so it didn’t seem like Hulk was just fighting an opponent who was trying to get his ass beat into the ground. Thor took full strength Hulk blows to the head, the abdomen, and would definitely leave him with bruises. 

But, bruised wasn’t good enough, and so he lifted up stormbreaker again, going for what he hoped Hulk would think was a genuine attack with the weapon. Hulk, seeing the attack coming, grabbed the weapon from him before the attack could land, counter attacking with stormbreaker before Thor could even think. The blade of the axe went through his left side, through his one arm completely, becoming lodged in his abdomen. This attack knocked the God off his feet, and even made Hulk take a step back and think about what he’d just done.

“Th-... Thank you, dear… You have done me a, a good service… N-now, you, Banner, the Avengers… Save the universe, okay?” Using the last bit of his energy that he had left, Thor pushed himself to his feet, hand holding onto the weapon in his side. It hurt, one of the most painful things he’d felt in his entire millennia alive, but it would all be over soon. Hulk watched with confused, curious eyes as Thor limped to the edge of the cliff, taking one last glance at Hulk. “Goodbye. It has been an honor.” He whispered, tears he didn’t know he was about to shed rolling down his cheeks as he leaned over the edge, falling, ensuring that he landed on the blade to make his death as fast as possible.

* * *

 

When Bruce awoke, he was… In a lake? He doesn’t remember how he got there, or what even happened. He sits up and looks around, trying to gather clues as to what happened, and to try and remember what lead up to this. 

Well, it looked like his clothes were torn, so he must’ve code greened, and… He was still on Vormir, so he and Thor had to get the soul stone. Where was Thor, anyway?

Bringing his hands up, he rubs them over his face. Not remembering anything from when he Hulked out was a huge pain in the ass. As he brought his hands to his face though, he felt something. Looking down, grasped in his hands, was a little glowing stone. Did he get the soul stone?

Suddenly, everything came rushing back to him at once. The everlasting exchange, the soul for a soul, him and Thor fighting over who should be the sacrifice. Thor, pushing him over the edge of the cliff, and everything going black.

“No…” Bruce whispered softly, a trembling hand being raised to his mouth in shock. He was here, with the soul stone, without Thor. Thor had sacrificed himself for the stone. He felt hot tears pricking at his eyes as he gazed down at the soul stone, the last piece of Thor’s soul that he had. “No, no no no, this can’t be happening.” He looked around, desperately, hoping he’d see Thor. Maybe he’d pop out from behind him, maybe he was alive. He couldn’t be dead. He couldn’t be gone, he was Thor, the God of thunder.

Bruce’s eyes scanned around for a few more moments before reality truly began to set in, and the tears finally began to fall as the man pulled his legs to his chest, weeping. 

Thor was gone. Really gone. And he’d never get him back.


End file.
